Surviving as the Heavenly Demon’s Concubine - Chapter 91

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

While Riser and Mujin were eating meat dumplings in the mundane world, freezing and retrieving the runaway Curry, summoning dinosaurs, and then enjoying spinning tops, time in reality flowed diligently onward.

During this time, Muk-in Chongkwan illuminated the flow of energy with Manhyeolseongjinbo,

and Museong closely observed Riser’s internal energy actually moving to assess the progress of her breathing cultivation.

“The poison energy remains completely motionless. Dokma seems to be continuously attempting guidance, but there’s no response as if it’s frozen, so it would be best to separate them at this point.”

“What’s the state of the vital energy?”

“There is some movement, but it’s somewhat difficult to interpret. Is Swordmaster really involved in this…?”

“Then it would be best to separate Dokma first.”

Muk-in Chongkwan possessed various self-developed magical arts.

Among them was a magical art that directly hammered ‘semantic elements’ into a specific person’s consciousness, and using this method, he could convey necessary content even to people who were unconscious, asleep, or in the middle of breathing cultivation.

Semantic elements are a concept like ‘atoms of meaning’ that cannot be broken down further.

Words or long sentences that encompass various meanings cannot be conveyed through this magical art.

For this reason, some people mocked this martial art as being similar to how insects like ants or bees convey news to their colonies.

However, beneath that mockery lay subtle jealousy, and it was certainly a very useful magical art, to the extent that some people secretly offered bribes asking to be taught it.

[Stop]

Muk-in Chongkwan transmitted the semantic element meaning ‘stop’ to Dokma Umun Gwoe.

Soon after, Umun Gwoe stopped his breathing cultivation and withdrew his hands from Riser’s shoulder blades.

“It’s been a while, Lord.”

When Muk-in Chongkwan spoke to him, only then did Dokma nod his head in acknowledgment.

“…Lord Chongkwan.”

“I’m here too, Lord.”

“Even the Fourth Young Master. What brings you all together?”

The two smiled and informed him that the Cheonryeon Palace young girls had come to fetch them.

Jegal Lin and Song Ha’s faces flushed red.

It was understandable how anxious they must have been to run to both the Office of the Sangwan Baek and Yakwang-jeon.

“What exactly happened? The children roughly explained the outside situation, so that’s fine. But I’m curious about our Internal Administrator’s physical condition.”

“Internal Administrator?”

‘Oh no. I was too hasty.’

Muk-in Chongkwan realized he had unconsciously jumped ahead in time due to his strong desire to have Riser appointed to the Office of the Sangwan Baek, and reflected on this.

“It’s nothing. Just a figure of speech.”

“…Anyway, I understand.”

Umun Gwoe strangely felt suspicious.

He had an instinctive sense of crisis that the Administrator might steal his disciple.

“Dang Ri-seo was in a state of having both poison energy and vital energy simultaneously. So Sister Yeon and I each took charge of the poison energy and vital energy separately for individual guidance.”

“Is such a thing possible? The two energies would inevitably collide somewhere in the body.”

When Cheonmu Seong asked in surprise, Umun Gwoe answered calmly as if he had expected this question.

“That’s why the Third Young Master is here. We opened a channel in the child’s dantian to create a detour through the Third Young Master’s body. Sister Yeon and I stepped back to clear the path so the two energies wouldn’t clash with each other.”

“I see. So that’s why the three of you were together.”

Muk-in Chongkwan nodded as if he finally understood.

Breathing cultivation was usually done alone, and occasionally there were cases where an experienced senior would help, making it two people, but a case like Riser’s with 1+3 people working together was unheard of.

Museong found this situation very strange.

‘What’s so special about Dang Ri-seo that they’d go to such lengths?’

Wasn’t she just a preliminary concubine from the Central Plains at best?

Seeing that neither Muk-in Chongkwan nor Dokma himself seemed to have any sense of the problem, there must be something about Dang Ri-seo that he didn’t know.

“But you know.”

Muk-in Chongkwan asked again, as if there was something puzzling after hearing the explanation.

“I saw earlier that the poison energy wasn’t moving at all, what’s going on? According to your words, Lord, there should be movement.”

“Ah… well, that is…”

Dokma hesitated for a moment.

Honestly, he didn’t know well either.

‘It suddenly became motionless as if frozen.’

This was because Mujin had put the poison energy in the pond and frozen it in the mundane world, but this was a circumstance Umun Gwoe couldn’t know about.

Therefore, Umun Gwoe had no choice but to interpret it in his own way.

“The child decided to embrace the poison energy.”

“Explain in more detail.”

“Though the child somehow came to possess two types of energy, one martial artist cannot embrace two energies, can they? It would only be a shortcut to qi deviation. She must have decided, albeit belatedly, to embrace only one energy and move forward.”

“You’re saying she deliberately chose poison energy over vital energy?”

Umun Gwoe felt slightly offended.

‘What’s wrong with poison energy!’

What’s so good about vital energy other than being able to learn any martial art and being welcomed everywhere? Isn’t it just a boring energy with no personality?

“Dang Ri-seo is a child who will become the successor of Mandok Gate. She should naturally choose poison energy!”

“Is that really true?”

Museong was shocked.

He knew she wasn’t an ordinary preliminary concubine, but the successor of Mandok Gate?

“Nonsense. Dang Ri-seo will be appointed to the Office of the Sangwan Baek in the future.”

“Recommending a bureaucratic position to my top disciple! What kind of insult is this!”

Suddenly, two high-ranking officials of the Demonic Sect began quarreling over Riser’s future.

For Umun Gwoe, who had planned to quietly confirm Riser as his successor while Swordmaster and Mujin were absent, this was an unexpected obstacle.

Regardless, Museong nodded to himself and muttered in what seemed like a soliloquy.

“I see. So that’s why the poison energy stopped moving, and the initiative for the vital energy passed to Brother Mujin.”

However, when masters of this level gather, true soliloquy cannot exist. Even if they pretend not to hear and let it pass, everyone is actually listening.

‘The initiative passed over?’

‘Hmm. So that’s why he said the movement was difficult to interpret earlier.’

“Lord Administrator. Could you possibly cast Manhyeolseongjinbo on Brother Mujin’s side as well? I can confirm things to some extent even now, but… there’s something I want to check before proceeding with the next treatment.”

“That’s not difficult. But if the light becomes stronger than now, colored glasses won’t be enough…”

Muk-in Chongkwan thought for a moment, then spoke with a bright expression as if a good idea had occurred to him.

“Right. I should direct the light inward. That way I can reduce the amount of light emitted outward.”

“Can you do that?”

“It’s not difficult. It’s just changing the result while keeping the core principle the same. Let me see…”

Though he spoke easily, it was certainly a complex and troublesome procedure.

It only felt easy because Muk-in Chongkwan was skilled at developing or modifying new magical arts.

“Thank you, Lord Administrator.”

Muk-in Chongkwan pushed up the glasses on his nose and began improving the structure of the magical art.

And after about an hour had passed.

“It’s done.”

Thus 【Manhyeolseongjinbo – Improved Version】 was completed.

None of those present knew that this new modification would cause severe light pollution in the mundane world where Riser and Mujin were.

* * *

The spinning top fell.

With that certainty, Riser and Mujin saw the illusion of the world turning upside down.

The world full of light scattered into tens of thousands of colors through a dizzying prism, gravity’s influence disappeared, and all objects floated up. Even the Brachiosaurus was swimming in the air like a balloon.

Riser felt the sensation of being sucked somewhere in that whirlpool of light.

“Gasp!”

It felt as if someone was throwing Riser’s consciousness back to where her body was.

Having been in such a bright world and then returning to reality, the surrounding scenery looked bleakly dull.

After blinking twice, her eyes focused on Mujin’s face sitting across from her.

“Are you coming to your senses?”

Seeing him grin afterward, Riser felt a strange sense of relief.

“I think so.”

Right after Mujin, who was sitting right in front of her, the person who noticed Riser’s return was Jegal Lin.

“…!! Everyone! Riser has regained consciousness!!”

Jegal Lin hugged Riser tightly and sobbed, saying she thought she was going to die and asking if she knew how worried she had been.

“Hic… all night long… you wouldn’t wake up… waaah…”

“There, there. I’m sorry.”

“In the morning too… at lunch too…”

Riser’s hand, which had been patting Jegal Lin’s back, suddenly stopped.

No way.

Riser grabbed Jegal Lin’s shoulders and pushed her back far enough to see her face.

“You’ve been here this whole time?”

“When you’re like this, where else would I go…”

Jegal Lin nodded and stretched out her arms again, trying to hug Riser.

Riser firmly held Jegal Lin in place, looked her straight in the eyes, and asked again.

“What about classes? Morning training?”

“When my friend might die, how can those things be important right now?”

They are important.

“The other kids went back, didn’t they?”

“But I’m… your best friend…!”

What kind of special position is being a best friend?

Riser shouted loudly in frustration and exasperation.

“Even so, you should have gone to morning training!”

She was already on the verge of failing if she missed one more day, and when everyone else returned to Cheonryeon Palace, who would appreciate her staying alone(?) by her sickbed!

“Oh! Our head steward has awakened?”

“My disciple! Look here! Your master is here!”

Just as Riser was about to seriously scold Jegal Lin.

Unexpected people came rushing over and began filling the space around Riser.

“?? I think you have the wrong person.”

Riser was dumbfounded, having unknowingly succeeded in job hunting and even gained a master. (Jegal Lin took advantage of Riser’s confusion to quickly escape.)

“Brother, I congratulate you on your return.”

And while everyone was focused on Riser, only Museong looked after his brother.

“Yes.”

Mujin chuckled and nodded.

That’s when it happened.

Boom, boom boom, boom!

Piii-eee-!

Sounds resembling drums and taepyeongso began coming from somewhere.

“Over there!”

While everyone was looking around trying to find the source of the sound, Song Ha Dojang spotted it first and pointed with her finger, opening her mouth.

-Make way! The noble Ma Hu Munseorhwa and her son, Young Master Cheonmu Hyeon, and daughter, Lady Cheonyang Seol, are passing through!

Along with the resounding proclamation, a magnificent procession could be seen approaching from the distance with dozens of people carrying palanquins and banners.

“Ma Hu? Ma Hu is coming now?”

“Can’t deny it.”

Muk-in Chongkwan, like a seasoned bureaucrat, adjusted his official robes with a resigned expression and waited for Ma Hu’s procession.

“Sigh.”

“Can’t be helped. Let’s prepare as well.”

Seeing this, the others who couldn’t deny reality also got up one by one and went out to greet the procession.

“Damn it. In someone else’s territory…”

Umun Gwoe muttered quietly.

Such a splendid and conspicuous procession emanates powerful authority by itself.

You could call it the aura of power. It was safe to say there was no longer any hope for Umun Gwoe’s small and precious poison herb garden.

* * *

It was like a parade at an amusement park.

Ma Hu, dressed like a fairy, sat atop a palanquin as tall as a two-story building, looking down and speaking.

“Let all present listen.”

“Let all present-! Listen!”

Since a high-ranking person couldn’t shamelessly shout loudly, a servant acting as a loudspeaker repeated her words from beside her.

“A storyteller came to me and told a pitiful tale, saying: A young concubine is in trouble, stepping on death’s threshold and looking back. Noble Ma Hu, though it be a frail life, please have mercy and save her. -Upon hearing this, I, Ma Hu, could not help but recall the day I first entered the palace.”

“A storyteller came to me- and told a pitiful tale- saying!”

‘This is going to take quite a while.’

As Riser thought this and looked ahead absentmindedly, she saw Peng Guyeon standing in the front row of the procession.

“Ah.”

When she waved her hand in delight, Peng Guyeon’s face turned deathly pale.

‘What’s wrong?’

-The question was quickly answered.

“I, Ma Hu Munseorhwa, swear by my name that I will spare nothing to pull the young concubine Dang Ri-seo from the brink of death! All physicians, warriors, and masters of Mount Shiwandai, gather under Ma Hu’s banner!”

‘I need to go lie down right now.’

A cold sweat trickled down Riser’s spine.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————